


Back East

by Brumeier



Series: Bite Sized Fic 2019 [42]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Western, Established Relationship, First Meetings, Gun Violence, Kid Fic, M/M, Prompt Fill, Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-28
Updated: 2019-07-28
Packaged: 2020-07-23 10:43:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20007013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brumeier/pseuds/Brumeier
Summary: LJ Comment Fic for 100 Words on Road Trips prompt:Hawaii Five-0, Steve McGarrett/Danny Williams, when chasing/staking out a criminal turns into an accidental road tripIn which Steve and Danny have tracked their quarry all the way to Manhattan, and almost get side-tracked by a pint-sized pickpocket.





	Back East

Danny had felt like he was being watched ever since he and Steve crossed the Mississippi. He cursed Victor Hesse for leading them on such a long chase, one that brought Danny uncomfortably close to his old stomping grounds. He was pretty sure he still had a price on his head in New Jersey.

“We need to find him and get out of here,” Steve said. 

He looked uncomfortable in a waistcoat and stiff-collared shirt, even though it was essential to blend in and not draw too much attention. Danny had tried getting him into an ascot, but Steve had flatly refused. It wasn’t just the clothes, it was also the press of people on the streets of Manhattan, and the noise, and the dirty air. 

“I want to get back home as much as you, Steven.”

Home on the range, just like that poem said. Danny never thought he’d feel comfortable living out there in the wide open spaces, but it wasn’t the strangest turn his life had taken.

Evening was falling and people were headed home, headed to dinner, headed out for a night’s entertainment at one of the countless music halls, gentleman’s clubs, or brothels the city had to offer. Hesse had family connections at one such place in the Bowery, a beer garden of ill repute.

Danny was completely focused on the task at hand, at least until Steve abruptly stopped walking and spun around with a snarl. When he turned back around the expression on his face was an almost comical mix of surprise and annoyance. A dirty, raggedy street urchin was trying to pull their arm out of his grip, with no luck.

“Friend of yours?” Danny asked.

“She was trying to pick my pocket.”

She? Danny took a closer look, and yes, it was a little girl scowling back at Steve. She couldn’t have been more than six or seven. It was prime time for theft, and Danny did a quick check to make sure his own pockets were still full and the girl hadn’t just been a distraction.

“Where’s your family?” Steve asked, squatting down to get on her level.

“Lemme go!”

“She doesn’t have any family,” Danny said. “There’s a lot of street kids here. Most of them run in packs.”

“You have people taking care of you?” Steve asked, and he was getting that soft look on his face that Danny had learned to dread.

“I can do it myself,” the girl muttered, but now there were tear tracks through the grime. Well, it wasn’t like Danny was made of stone.

“What’s your name?”

The girl shook her head.

“We just want to help you,” Steve said. 

She studied him for a long minute before sniffling and saying, so softly Danny almost missed it, “Grace.”

Danny had a sinking suspicion he knew the kind of help Steve was offering, and it wasn’t taking Grace to the nearest orphanage. Danny would’ve suggested just that, but he knew how Steve felt about those places; his childhood hadn’t exactly been idyllic.

“Steven, may I remind you that we are currently tracking down a known murderer? And that violence is likely to ensue once we run him to ground? That is not a suitable scenario to toss a little girl into.”

“I have a plan,” Steve replied.

Danny hated those words, but there was no stopping Steve when he was on a mission.

Good money was paid at the nearest brothel to get Grace cleaned up and more properly outfitted in a dress, though they didn’t have shoes her size. Without the dirt and grime, Grace was actually a pretty cute kid. Steve carried her, looking every bit the doting father, and Danny found himself experiencing a myriad of conflicting emotions.

When they arrived at the Hesse family’s beer garden, Steve bought Grace a pretzel and a glass of milk and set her up at the table closest to the door.

“If anything happens,” he told her. “You run and hide.”

In the end, it was all very anti-climactic. Victor Hesse was as tired of running as Danny and Steve were of chasing him. After a few tense moments, and a lot of sobbing on the part of Mother Hesse, Victor drew on Steve and Steve put a bullet through Victor’s head.

“He was good boy, once!” Mother Hesse cried, twisting a handkerchief in her hands. 

Danny left the disposal of Victor’s remains to his family and hurried Steve out of the beer garden before anyone got thinking about revenge. Grace was waiting for them just outside, milk still staining her upper lip.

“I can stay with you?” she asked.

Steve and Danny exchanged a look. 

“You ever been on a train?” Steve asked, and grinned when Grace shook her head. “You’ll love it!”

**Author's Note:**

>  **AN:** So, I wanted to bring Grace in to this 'verse, but in a very different way. Which I think I achieved. LOL! She certainly picked the right pocket this time, poor little thing.


End file.
